Do I ship it?

GamesCRPGCRPG + Card Game

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Card Game CRPG?

CRPG + Card Game

Only 17 developers shipped a Card Game CRPG in the last 2 years, too few for firm odds: the middle one made est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.; the top game by est. revenue, All in Abyss: Judge the Fake, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 33 more are announced, ×3.3 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: poor odds, for a 7 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $3.3k, ×2.2 the market's $1.5k for a 7 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $720; 1 in 20 cleared $170k, ×120 the market median. Revenue is down 85% on the market; 33 games are announced against 10 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 2.2 times the market baseline, revenue down 85% on the market, 33 announced, ×3.3 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
CRPG + Card Game
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 17
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $22k → $419 → $356 → $4.3k → $1.5k → $10k → $390 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for CRPG + Card Game: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 17
Bottom 30% $719 (exactly $719)
Median $3.3k (exactly $3,293)
Top 25% $20k (exactly $20,441)
Top 5% $180k (exactly $179,888)
Developers, 2 yr 17
Released games 52
Announced 33
Effort 7 / 10
AI-buildability Low
Typical price $9.99

momentum: how a niche's revenue percentiles and developer count moved between two equal, adjacent periods, divided by the market's own move. See method., 12 months: revenue down 85% on the market, supply 25% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 10%, excluded from money figures.

See every window in the explorer →

Plate 2 · systems and tooling

Can AI deliver it?

AI-buildability for this niche is low: the lowest rating among its tags.

CRPG
effort 7 / 10 · low · effort 7 sits in the low band
Card Game
effort 2 / 10 · high · rules engine and card data

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
7 / 10 · big single-player or serious online
Systems
CRPG, Card Game; 8 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Card Battler, RPG, Strategy
Price point
$9.99 typical · top 25% priced $11.99 or above
Art
4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, Anime, Cute
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $11.99 or above; the middle game at $9.99.

The top 10 games average 75% positive over 1,315 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $720, median $3.3k, 1 in 4 over $20k, 1 in 20 over $170k.

3 in 10 developers made under $720. 7 in 10 of the 11 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 33 games are announced against 10 developers who shipped in the last year, ×3.3 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

CRPG with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.

  1. + Martial ArtsFair13 devs · median $26k · 14 announced
  2. + Female ProtagonistFair84 devs · median $2.4k · 95 announced
  3. + TabletopFair22 devs · median $1.9k · 26 announced
  4. + Traditional RoguelikeFair12 devs · median $1.9k · 13 announced
  5. + 2D PlatformerFair62 devs · median $1.2k · 76 announced
  6. + IncrementalLong shot32 devs · median $449 · 27 announced
  7. + FMVPoor odds16 devs · median $58k · 14 announced
  8. + Card BattlerPoor odds15 devs · median $25k · 28 announced
  9. + Grid-Based MovementPoor odds26 devs · median $23k · 46 announced
  10. + SpacePoor odds11 devs · median $22k · 23 announced
  11. + Online Co-OpPoor odds13 devs · median $22k · 23 announced
  12. + Souls-likePoor odds12 devs · median $20k · 24 announced

All 123 pairs on the CRPG page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Tainted Grail: Conquest older $19.99 7,589 90% 228k $4.6M (exactly $4,551,123) Questline
Sovereign Syndicate older $19.99 573 79% 17k $344k (exactly $343,628) Crimson Herring Studios
Shadowhand: RPG Card Game older $16.99 668 82% 20k $340k (exactly $340,480) Grey Alien Games
Ancient Enemy older $16.99 386 89% 12k $197k (exactly $196,744) Grey Alien Games
All in Abyss: Judge the Fake $15.99 375 54% 11k $180k (exactly $179,888) ACQUIRE Corp., WSS playground
Shards of Order $9.99 578 90% 17k $173k (exactly $173,227) Fardust
Fated Kingdom older $9.99 260 73% 7.8k $78k (exactly $77,922) GameLiberty
Voice of Belldona · EA $11.99 117 72% 3.5k $42k (exactly $42,085) StoryCropStudio
SOULVARS older $16.99 70 78% 2.1k $36k (exactly $35,679) ginolabo, SUCCESS Corp.
Claymores of the Lost Kingdom $9.99 83 67% 2.5k $25k (exactly $24,875) Ultaan Games
Brave × Junction $10.99 62 83% 1.9k $20k (exactly $20,441) Rideon,Inc., RideonJapan
PLAYNESE: Master Japanese · EA $19.95 17 94% 510 $10k (exactly $10,174) Wynand Smit
Herogue $14.99 22 95% 660 $9.9k (exactly $9,893) 巴豆肥工作室
Manic Magic Ciena's Desire $12.99 22 68% 660 $8.6k (exactly $8,573) Maidensoft
Card Rogue $4.99 22 63% 660 $3.3k (exactly $3,293) Game Tsukuru Kun
Card Streamer Simulator $2.99 17 52% 510 $1.5k (exactly $1,525) Scissors Game

Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.